The Source of Power
by qirien
Summary: AVALANCHE and the Turks must work together to defeat new Weapons that plague Midgar . . . but can they really work together after fighting for so long? Is there a more sinister force behind the new Weapons? PG for violence.
1. Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business 

On the Highwind, everyone was silent. It wasn't the awkward silence that comes from having nothing to say, or the morose silence of grieving. No, it was a reverent silence. Memories of Aeris and images of Holy and Meteor filled Cid's head more than views of the passing scenery. _That girl -- I can't believe she -- that was amazing -- but how was she able to come back and do that?!_ He was so preoccupied that he hadn't even told the crew to set a course for the Highwind yet, so they simply drifted over endless dunes of snow. After long minutes, maybe hours, Vincent, of all people, was the one to break the silence. 

"Where are we going?" It was a simple enough question, but nobody answered. Instead, they glanced at Cloud for direction, but looked away when they saw him gazing blankly out the window. 

_%&$^._ thought Cid, _We can't bug him when he looks like that!_ Cid looked around and noticed the group had turned their gaze to him. He snorted. 

"Fine, fine -- I'm the pilot, so **I'll** decide where we're going." He swung around and whispered to the navigator the first place he thought of. 

"And where is that?," Nanaki demanded, leaping closer to the cockpit. 

"Rockettown." 

The room, which had been so silent before, erupted with protests. 

"What?! Foo, ain't nobody got nothin' there but you! If we goin' somewhere, it better be Midgar!" 

"No, no! Wutai, wutai! Take me home!" 

"I, personally, would prefer to travel to Cosmo Canyon." 

Cid glared at them all. "You know, that's real funny, since none of you had any opinions on this until 2 seconds ago!" 

"Cid," Tifa's gentle voice cut in, "I think we all want to go home, but it would make sense for Midgar to be the first stop, since three of us want to go there, and I believe we still have some unfinished business with Shinra." Cid looked around at Cait Sith and Barret, who nodded, and everyone else shrugged. 

"Unfinished business?! If we're not done after all that back there," he gestured wildly to the Crater, "then when are we finished?! I'm going home!" He realized he sounded childish as soon as he finished talking, which is probably why he didn't glare Tifa away when she came and tapped on his shoulder. She whispered something in his ear, and he turned red and his mouth opened as if he was about to shout at her. Instead, he simply muttered, "Fine, fine. But we go to Rockettown **first**." 

Nobody wanted to argue after that. Tifa returned to her spot next to Cloud, and laid a comforting hand on his arm. He twitched, and looked up at her, his Mako-blue eyes glowing with an unnatural absence of emotion, and he stood up. 

"None of you have to keep going if you don't want to. You've all done a lot, it's true. But, Aeris gave her life for this Planet. She knew what was going to happen at the Temple of the Ancients, and she knew that in order to stop Meteor and Sephiroth, she had to return to the Lifestream." He closed his eyes. "But the Planet is still suffering. As long as there are reactors stealing Mako from the Planet, there will be suffering. If we let that happen, we are nullifying Aeris' sacrifice. **That** is why I'm not finished." 

"It's like I keep sayin'," Barret cut in, "We gotta save the Planet. That's what all this is for, right? Well, if Cloud says we're not done, then we're not done. An' I hope I don't see one of you backin' out now." 

_They're right_ Cid consented in his mind, _but I'll be a %&@^* fool if I go another day of fightin' without doing the most important thing in **my** life_ Their course did not waver from Rockettown, and although Cloud noticed, he didn't say anything. Some things were almost as important as the Planet, and maybe more urgent. 

* * *

Yuffie always felt the most homesick when on a ship. If she had to endure motion sickness all the time (and it seemed like they spent **so** much time flying around!), and she never even complained to anyone (except when they asked), then she had a right to feel homesick, too. In the Highwind's bathroom, she let all her fear and loneliness and tension and anger build up along with her sickness, and then they all flew right out and ended up in a neat little bucket where she could throw them all away for a while. _There._ she thought, rinsing her mouth out with water. _Much better._ She sighed, and almost smiled, although she still felt a little queasy when the ship rose or fell sharply. As she made her way back to the bridge, she moaned a little as the Highwind descended abruptly, and she was forced to grip the rail as her head lolled in vertigo. 

"Uhhhhh . . . " Just as she thought she was going to need the bucket again, the lurching stopped, and the airship was still. Her nausea was almostly completely forgotten in her joy to be on land once again, and she scampered gingerly down to the exit, where she almost smacked her forehead against a black-swathed figure who was blocking her path. 

"Wah!! What the -- Vinny!

You did that on purpose, didn't you--!" Her shriek was cut short when she noticed that everyone was there, waiting for something. 

"What's going on?," she asked more quietly, "And where's Cid?" 

"We're waiting here for him," Tifa explained simply. "We shouldn't follow him." As much as Yuffie wanted to feel real ground underneath her feet, she knew better than to get in Cid's way. Besides, Tifa had a knack for being right about things like this. So she plunked down right where she was and began her daily task of making a mental inventory of the materia in her possession. There were the ones Cloud had let her use for their last battle, plus a few others she managed to get her hands on when no one was looking. _Let's see, there's Steal, Throw, three Alls, Bahamut, Poison, Ultima . . . _

* * *

Cid strode into the house like he owned it, which he did. Five confident, jaunty strides took him into the workroom, where he barked out, "Well, **we're** mostly finished, Shera. Do anything worthwhile while we were gone?" 

"Cid. You're back." She smiled wryly. "Nothing as wonderful as saving the world, I'm afraid. All I've managed to come up with while you were gone is this." She tossed him a long, thin package wrapped in white paper, with "Cid" written in dark red script. 

"Shera-what?" His face softened with surprise and he opened it without another word. Inside was a slender silver spear, sharpened to three almost invisible points, and with several slots for materia on the side. As he lifted it out of the box, he almost dropped it, it was so light. But when he tried to bend it a little, to test its strength, it was as strong as if it were ten times as thick. 

"Where did you get this?," he asked, running his hands over the smooth, cool metal. 

"I -- well, I made it for you. Not that it would make up for anything," she hastened to say, "But I thought if I made it . . . well, that somehow it would bring you back here." 

"Thanks," Cid interrupted her. They both stood there for a moment, awkwardly. He knew she was looking at him, but he refused to look up.

Finally, Cid burst through the silence.

"Say, Shera, d'ya think maybe, well, er, could you -- Aw, %^#&, Shera, just come with me, all right?" She smiled -- a real smile, this time, but then she looked at him sternly and asked, 

"Why?" 

"Why?! Whaddya mean, 'why'?! Because, well, because . . . cuz you belong wherever I'm at, that's why." He shuffled back and forth a bit, and then gave her a little wink, "Anyway, someone's gotta keep you outta trouble. Now, are you coming, or do I have to tie you up and drag you along?!" The combination of the wink and his ornery face looked so comical that she burst out laughing, a beautiful sound he hadn't heard in a long time. She rose from her seat and exclaimed gently, 

"Of course I'll come, you fool man!

But would it really hurt you that much to tell me the real reason you want me along?" With that, she kissed his roughly-shaven cheek and went to get a few things for the journey. Cid stood in silence for a few moments and then shouted out, 

"I noticed you haven't told me the real reason **you're** coming! Sounds like I'm not the only fool around here, hah!" He was still absently rubbing his cheek where she had kissed him when she came back, and she smiled a little at that, too. No, Cid hadn't changed -- but at least he had forgiven her. 

* * *

Jaina had lived in Kalm her entire, long life of six years. Nothing exciting ever happened there, but, since she didn't know about the exciting things happening elsewhere, she didn't really notice. She was content with attending school with the seven other children of the village, and playing in the town square every afternoon. This week, she and her friend Benri were the owners of a Chocobo farm. Last week they were Shinra soldiers, and the week before that they were submarine explorers. Yesterday they had named all their chocobos: Janee, Johnny, Ginny, Jenny, and Mennifer. Jaina had let Benri name the last one, even though he wasn't very good with names, because she thought it was only fair. But Benri was very good at making up the events in whatever game they were playing, so she pretended to feed her chocobos calmly until he ran over and exclaimed, "Jaina, Mennifer is acting funny! I think she's scared!" "Oh no! Benri, my chocobos are scared, too!

I wonder why?" She pretended to pet and soothe her chocobos, whispering to them that everything would be all right, while Benri scouted out for the cause of their consternation. "Let's look around," he suggested. Together they ran up the stairs and behind Benri's father's shop. Back there, the weeds grew tall and the town ended with a stone wall that they could just barely see over. They both scanned the area, until Benri pointed, "There! That monster must be why they were so scared!" "Oh, wow!," Jaina exclaimed, watching a shadowy figure approach from far, far away. "But are sure it's a monster? It looks . . . beautiful." Sunlight glinted blindingly off of the creature, making it difficult to see exactly what it was. When clouds passed in front of the sun, however, she could see that it was easily as tall as the Mythril mountains, and had a violet sheen to its metallic surface. It floated over the sea with the aid of two white wings, which flapped mechanically in a slow, hypnotizing rhythm. At first, it seemed to be heading straight towards Kalm. As it approached, the two children gazed at it, transfixed, and it passed by the town and veered towards Midgar. "It looks like it's made of purple glass," Benri whispered reverently. Jaina nodded, then stated importantly, "It's called amethyst." 

* * *

There were several Shinra buildings in Midgar, but they had all been reduced to skeletons and rubble by Weapons and Meteor. So had most of the buildings in the upper section. But, down in the slums, in a gaudy mansion in Sector 5, conveniently located next to Wall Market, Reeve assumed control of the Corporation. Luckily, he had ordered the evacuation of the upper plate before Meteor hit. However, lots of debris had fallen on the slums below, and there were so many displaced people wandering around. The soldiers now had new duties, aiding with medical emergencies and temporary shelters and reconstruction. He had even started a huge garden built inside of Aeris' old church in Sector 5, both to give hope with its cheery flowers, to give work to many who were now unemployed, and to provide food to the hungry masses. But right now, on top floor of the new Shinra Headquarters, flowers were the farthest things from his mind. 

"**Another** Weapon?!" Reeve groaned incredulously at his secretary, "Midgar barely withstood one Weapon before, and now we're supposed to fend off three at the same time?!" His secretary shrugged, glad it wasn't her problem, and turned to leave. She paused for a moment halfway to the door, expecting some further order from the de facto President of Shinra. But when she turned to look at him, he had his eyes closed and appeared to be deep in thought. He did that a lot, she noticed, almost as if he were really somewhere else half the time.

In this case, he actually was. She never would have guessed that he was actually controlling a giant stuffed moogle. 

"Cid!" yelled Cait Sith, who had previously been very very quiet. "Can you hurry it up? There's three Weapons approaching Midgar, so we could use some help!" Cid turned to his co-pilot and yelled, 

"You heard the cat, pilot! What's your problem, being so idiotically slow?!" Before he had finished his tirade, the airship sped up to an almost perilous velocity, causing the passengers to grip handrails and instrument panels for balance. Cid grinned and clapped the pilot on the back. "That's more like it!" 

Before long, and with a little guidance from Cait Sith, they had landed on the roof of the Shinra building and made their way down to Reeve's makeshift office. There were only two chairs not in use, which were quickly claimed by Yuffie and Cid, and piles of papers rescued from the older buildings lined the walls in a haphazard maze. Before Cloud could ask exactly what was going on, the door opened and Reno, Rude, and Elena sauntered in the room. Well, Reno sauntered; Rude lurked, and Elena strode. 

"You didn't tell us **they** was gonna be here," Barret remarked, eyeing the three former enemies suspiciously. Although he had directed his remarks to Cait Sith, it was Reeve who answered, 

"Now, now, they're employees of the new Shinra. They're almost like different people. This morning, they were down in the slums planting flowers." At that, Reno smirked, 

"Heh. Elena was planting flowers anyway; I was laughing at everyone digging in the dirt on their hands and knees." 

"Then it is very interesting," Red cut in, "that the knees of your trousers are so soiled, almost as if you had been gardening." Reno began to say something in retort, but Reeve interrupted. 

"Please! With three Weapons bearing down on the city, we'll need all the time and help we can get our hands on, no matter the source. Besides, I don't trust AVALANCHE not to blow up a reactor like last time, and I don't trust the Turks to be able to hold their own against three Weapons. So the only way this is going to work is if you put aside old differences and come together anew." Reno snorted, and Barret waved his gun-arm defiantly, but neither voiced a protest. The one thing everyone could agree on was that Midgar needed help. 

"I'm assuming that we are shutting down the reactors, then, if you don't want to blow them up," Vincent asked, trying to divert the animosity that threatened to crystallize between the two groups. 

"Yes," Reeve sighed, "I was going to do it eventually, of course, but we needed the power for the equipment we're using to rebuild Midgar. I don't know what we'll do now, instead, but I'd rather keep the city in darkness than have it destroyed by Weapons." Vincent nodded, and the atmosphere in the room changed from one of disgusted tension to uneasy cooperation. _It's a start, at least,_ thought Reeve. 

"Now," Reeve continued, "the plan is to split up into four groups. Three of the groups will intercept the Weapons and dispatch, or at least distract, them. The other group will shut off the reactors. Unfortunately, there isn't one central shutdown area, so this group will have to travel to each reactor individually. The reactor-shutdown group will consist of Nanaki and myself, since we are the ones with the most technical experience here. Cloud, I'm leaving the formation of the other three groups up to you." 

"All right." Cloud paused for a moment, thinking, and then announced, "Tifa, Rude -- you're with me. We'll be covering the North Weapon--" 

"Garnet Weapon," Cait Sith supplied helpfully. 

"Right, whatever," Cloud continued, "Elena, Barret, and, uh, Cid will intercept the southwest Weapon, whatever it's called--" 

"Onyx Weapon," Cait Sith interrupted again, "And the last one is Amethyst Weapon." 

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!," Elena burst out, "Why do I have to be with these two foul-mouthed animals?!" 

"Because the other foul-mouthed animal is going with Yuffie and Vincent." A few people chuckled at how he diverted her complaint, but nobody contested the description. It took a moment for Elena to figure out that Cloud was talking about Reno, but then she rolled her eyes and shrugged. 

"Fine, fine." 

Suddenly, Shera burst into the room. Apparently she had been doing some maintenance on the Highwind - she had a streak of grease on her chin and a wrench in her hand. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing -- What about me? I'd like to help . . ." 

"Shera?! I thought I told you to--" Cid began, but Reeve interrupted, 

"Why don't you come with Red and I? We could use an engineer..." Cid looked sullen, but then he just shook his head and muttered something under his breath. 

"It's all settled then," Reeve announced before anyone else could complain, "Remember: we must keep the Weapons away from the city at all costs. I haven't spent the last two days and thirty million gil cleaning up Midgar to have all my work undone by these creatures, not to mention the numerous lives that would be lost. Red and Shera and I will shut them down as quickly as we can, but it will probably take several hours to fly around the whole city and get them all. Once we're all done, though, we'll meet back here. Is the plan clear to everyone? Any questions?" 

"I assume we'll be taking the Shinra helicopters you had us bring over to the roof?," Reno asked, flicking his fiery ponytail over his shoulder. Reeve nodded. 

"I'm not leavin' the Highwind here to travel in a stinkin' Shinra helicopter!," Cid shouted, as if this were the last straw, "You can do what you like, but we're taking the Highwind." He stormed out of the office and up to the roof, and the rest of the warriors followed him up as Cloud and Reeve watched. 

"So, what's the real reason you wanted the Turks to work with us on this one," Cloud asked quietly. Reeve smiled tiredly, and explained, 

"They need a new place, a new job with meaning to it. They need something to replace the mercenary hardness that has been their life for so long. I was hoping they would find a place with you." 

Cloud nodded thoughtfully. "That is entirely up to them; I won't stand in their way." He started to leave, but after his heavy boots walked a few steps, they turned and Cloud asked, "Aren't you coming?" 

Reeve chuckled. "I'm already there as Cait Sith -- everyone's waiting for **you**." Cloud laughed too, then, and ran up the stairs. 

Reeve watched him go, and his eyebrows drew together in concern. The one question nobody had voiced was whether or not they would actually be able to hold off the Weapons. Of course, AVALANCHE had defeated several of them before fighting Sephiroth, but they wouldn't work as well with the Turks, even if their raw abilities were somewhat similar. Reeve wondered if he had made a mistake, using this critical battle as an opportunity to try to merge AVALANCHE and the Turks. _No,_ he decided, _I trust them._

Suddenly, he realized Shera was saying something to Cait Sith, and so he hurried to that part of his mind that controlled the Moogle/cat pair.

He had no choice, now. He had to trust them all. 


	2. Tangled Weaves

Tangled Weaves 

Vincent was glad to have a purpose.

Well actually, "glad" was too strong a word. "Less unhappy" or "content" was probably closer to the truth. After Sephiroth's defeat, when they were all back on the airship again, Vincent had wondered where he was going to go, what he was going to do. The only "home" he knew in this world besides his coffin was the Highwind and his companions. Surprisingly, he had little desire to return to the dank solitude of the Nibelheim mansion. Maybe he felt he had atoned for his inaction over Lucrecia by negating Hojo's work.Maybe he had begun to feel a strange kinship towards Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE. Maybe he felt that the best way to make up for all the sorrow and despair he had wrought upon the world was to make it closer to the kind of world Lucrecia would have wanted to live in. He had thought about it a lot, lately, but he had been unable to determine the exact reason he felt slightly more at peace with his past. Vincent had denied himself any emotion but melancholy for so long, he had a hard time identifying others. When he stopped to think, to analyze what he was feeling, the emotion slipped out of sight, like shadows when a light is brought into a room. 

It was this same feeling of uncertainty and confusion that struck him when he felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder. He whipped his head around instinctively, only to find it was Yuffie, half-asleep, looking a little green but otherwise peaceful. And her head was resting on his shoulder.It was strange, how it made him feel.He couldn't put a name to it, at first, and he ran through a long list of possible emotions trying to figure out what it was. Anger? Regret? Fear? Lust? Paternal protectiveness? Pride? Contentment? Affection? No, it was none of these, really. Finally, he found a name for it in something Yuffie had said a long time ago, when Cloud had let her use Knights of the Round before anyone else. 

"Thank you for trusting me, Cloud," she had said, "even though I don't deserve it." Yes, it was nice having someone trust him as a friend, and not as a soldier, even if he didn't deserve it. He let her head rest there, thinking those thoughts, until Reno yelled back from the cockpit, 

"$&@*! That thing's huge!" Vincent looked up to see Reno turn around and look at the pair in the rear of the helicopter. Reno laughed with an obscene grin, "I hope you two are better at fighting than you are at schmoozing." 

Startled, Yuffie sat up and cried, "Snoozing?! The only reason I had to take a nap was to shut out your **horrible** piloting! You make me want to puke, Reno!!!" Vincent prayed Reno wouldn't notice that she misheard what he said, and Reno just laughed. 

"Ha! How tough can you be if you can't even handle a jaunty little ride in Shinra's luxury aircraft? If you weren't so young, I'd sure--" 

"That's enough," Vincent cut in, "The last thing we need is to be fighting each other instead of the Weapon." 

"Then what are we waiting for?," Yuffie asked excitedly, "Land right here, Reno!! That way we can choose our ground before Weapon gets to us!" Despite Yuffie's complaints, Reno really was a good pilot, and the chopper landed gently in a small valley nestled between some small hills. The three hopped out and stretched a bit, making sure weapons and armlets and materia were all in place before heading to the top of the hill where Amethyst Weapon would approach. It was closer than it looked from up in the chopper. 

"Yeah! Time to whup some Weapon! Get it?! WHUP some WHUPPIN?!," Yuffie exclaimed playfully, doing a little dance that looked more like wrestling than cheerleading. Vincent would have smiled if he had remembered how. No, he couldn't go back to solitary self-pitying slumber. Not anymore. 

* * *

Elena was very surprised not to have heard a word of cursing from Barret or Cid so far. Of course, they only had said about five words total during their trip, so there wasn't much room for cursing. She was impressed that they respected her, though. Even though she was obviously used to such crude behavior from Reno, that didn't mean that she liked it. 

"Looks like we found ourselves a Weapon," Barret declared. 

"Yup," Cid replied tersely. 

Elena peered out the window and almost gasped at the sight of the creature. It lumbered on all fours, a metal monstrosity that oozed midnight and shadow, its black surface punctuated only by its two small, red eyes. Instinctively, she reached for her gun, soothed by its cool solidity, but at the same time suspicious of its cold resemblance to the dark creature they were to fight. 

"Um," she interjected timidly, "Shouldn't we have some sort of plan or something?" Not that she was frightened, of course. But it certainly looked like a . . . formidable opponent. Barret turned and looked at her. 

"We got one," he stated, "Cid's gonna have the Highwind hover right above that thing. You and me'll take it out from above with our long-range weapons, and Cid will hop down there an confuse the monster with that new fork of his and some materia tricks, too." She looked at Cid with respect at his willingness to place himself in danger for them, and blurted out, 

"That's, uh, that's nice of you, Cid. Um, great plan, guys." She realized that she sounded really lame, but she couldn't take back her words, and she wasn't sure what else she'd say if she could. Cid snorted. 

"Yeah, well, somebody's gotta save your sorry, ah, behinds. And, Barret, it's not a stupid fork, it's a three-pronged spear! Get it right!" 

"Looks like a pitchfork to me.Hope that monster's made of hay," Barret muttered, but Elena could tell there was no animosity behind their bickering, just nervousness. She checked to make sure she had loaded her four extra clips hidden under her jacket, and tried to calm herself. Rude had told her that the best way to fight a battle was calmly, with an unshakeable assurance that you would win. She was working on that, but she had lost so many times that it was hard to think that way. She usually ended up fighting with desperate survival instinct instead, which worked all right most of the time, but any mistakes would be twice as bad. 

"We're getting' close; better fly down low and get into position," Barret instructed. Cid mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like swearing and instructed the pilot to veer down low. 

"OK; you all just hover here 'til I tell you not to," he instructed his crewmen, "And no interfering! You got your job, and we got ours." He grabbed his slender spear, and ran off the bridge and down to the lower deck, which was exposed to the cool fall air. Barret and Elena followed, and she tried to take slow, measured breaths despite the adrenaline billowing about her like a whirlpool. She arrived just in time to see Cid scurrying down the rope ladder, and she positioned herself by the railing, gun trained and ready to shoot when the Weapon came within range. She wished that she had a longer range gun, like Rufus' shotgun, or Vincent's sniper rifle, but she had trained for years with a pistol and had become accustomed to its lightweight, close-range firing. If there was one thing she took pride in, it was being an excellent shot. When she wasn't nervous. Which was hardly ever. 

She looked to her right and saw Barret also poised against the railing, and he grinned at her with that fierce, wild grin of his. The calm smile she gave in return belied her nervousness, and she had to use both hands on her pistol to keep from shaking. 

_I'm a Turk,_ she repeated to herself, _I can do this._

* * *

Being the only member of the little group with hands, Shera was the one driving the helicopter. 

"Sorry!," she yelled, as she swerved abruptly to narrowly miss skimming the top of a building. Piloting a helicopter was a lot different than the Tiny Bronco, and she'd only had a few chances to fly that when Cid wasn't around. 

"Shera, you mustn't apologize so much," Nanaki reminded her, "It's beginning to disturb me." From the look on his face, however, Shera guessed that her apologizing wasn't the main reason he was disturbed. 

"I know, I'm sorry," she apologized again, and gritted her teeth as she accidentally jerked the craft to the left. 

"Isn't that the first reactor?," Red XIII queried, gesturing with his tail. 

"Yes, it is," agreed Cait Sith, "Shera, do you think you could land in that small park?" Calling it a "park" was a stretch; it couldn't have been more than ten meters square, with packed dirt instead of green grass, but it was the closest spot to the reactor that was flat. Beginning to be more accustomed to piloting the craft, Shera managed to set it down safely, if not gently. She even landed it in the park. Well, most of it was in the park; the tail was sticking out into the street, but there wasn't any traffic around here anymore. Pushing back a strand of brown hair that had escaped her tight ponytail, she smiled in relief. 

There was little chance of the bizzarre trio looking official, or even inconspicuous, so they were all relieved when no one seemed to be around to question them. Of course, if Reeve had come as himself instead of Cait Sith, there wouldn't have been a problem, since the soldiers were fiercely loyal to the new President. But, since the President's alter ego was as yet unknown to the general population of Midgar, it was a good thing no soldiers or technicians were present. With all the chaos of the past few weeks, their absence wasn't really surprising. 

Shera followed the others into the reactor, and watched Cait Sith enter in the key codes with his paws. She had to supress a giggle at the tiny cat punching in top secret security information. 

Finally they were in the computer room, and the three of them set to work, attempting to decipher the myriad of screens and buttons. The console Shera was currently looking at seemed to be some sort of security computer. She could view different cameras in areas all over the reactor, deploy bots, and control several turrets that guarded the outside of the reactor. 

"I don't think the shutdown is here; this console just has security programs." 

"Mine deals with temperature, radiation, and humidity sensors and controls," Red XIII added. 

"Here it is," Cait Sith exclaimed, "In the administration and employment section, of all places." He touched one of the buttons on the screan, leaving a small paw print in the dust, and suddenly the repetitive whirring and clunking that had permeated the background noise ceased, and the lights flickered and went out. Red's glowing tail cast eerie orange shadows on their faces for a moment, and then the backup generator kicked in. Emergency lights, located near the floor, were fairly dim, but they delineated halls and doorways well enough for the three to find their way out. 

"One down, seven to go!," Cait Sith declared as they reached the helicopted, "Well, five, I guess, since one was destroyed by Meteor, and we never did repair the one that AVALANCHE, er, the one that exploded." Shera noticed Red XIII smiling at that, and made a mental note to herself to ask Cid for more details on the recent events. Then again, he had come on the scene fairly late. Maybe Tifa would be a better person to ask. 

Shera managed to lift the helicopter off the ground without obliterating any lamp posts, and without apologizing at all. She would have been proud of herself, if she hadn't at that moment knocked out a window in a nearby shop. She refused to say "Sorry". 

* * *

Tifa wondered why Cloud had put Rude in the group with them. Had Cloud forgotten the embarrassing conversation they had overheard in Gongaga, where Rude confessed he had a crush on her? Surely "crush" was the right word- they'd fought each other more times than they'd actually spoken together. Looking at him now, it was hard to believe he'd ever say such a thing. His large, heavily muscled frame looked cramped in the small seats in the back of the helicopter, and his hands were clasped together in a guise of perfect tranquility. He appeared to be looking out the window behind his dark glasses, and his mouth was a thread devoid of emotion. 

Suddenly, he turned, and seeing she was watching him, she almost thought she saw his mouth twitch, as if he was about to say something. But instead he just pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose and looked away. Yet she sensed what he had been about to say, as clearly as if he had spoken it aloud. _He wants me to give him a chance,_ she realized, _but he will understand if I don't want to._ She was amazed at his peaceful selflessness. 

Knowing this, she felt a little self-conscious, sitting in the back of the helicopter with him, alone. She tugged the legs of her black shorts down a little, wishing they didn't expose quite so much leg. She kind of wished she had worn a different shirt, too -- one that wasn't quite so form-fitting. She had picked out her everday outfit a long time ago because of the freedom of movement her clothes offered, essential to her agile style of fighting, but at that moment she wished she had chosen something else. Her clothes made it too hard to tell if someone was looking at **her**, or just her physical form. 

"Excuse me a moment," she murmured to Rude, and then walked up to the cockpit where Cloud was piloting. Come to think of it, shouldn't Rude be the one steering the Shinra helicopter? Although it appeared Cloud could fly reasonable well, he was no pilot, much less a Shinra pilot. Something strange was going on, and Tifa didn't like the feeling that she was somehow left out of the loop, by one of her closest friends, no less. She stood by him a moment, debating whether or not to say anything. But then Cloud glanced over at her for a second, blue eyes glittering like carved ice, and she knew that he just wanted to help her. 

At that moment, Tifa saw in him so much -- their childhood friendship, their battles together, their journey back from the Lifestream . . . She had loved him for so long that she couldn't really tell what kind of love it was, but she did know one thing. 

"I'll be a part of your life forever," she whispered, almost inaudibly. But she wasn't sure what part that would be. She squeezed Cloud's shoulder, and stood there for a few minutes, wondering what, and who, would pervade her future. 

Until she looked up, and saw it. Garnet Weapon. Glittering beneath the ocean, it looked like a giant fiery salamander crawling towards them, slowly rising as it neared the beach. 

"Cloud, look!" As it rose out of the water, Tifa noticed its mottled orange and red surface looked like soft, moist skin. It was hard to believe that the creature was really mechanical, its skin was so smooth and alive. Although the creature's black eyes looked languid, its swift power and bulk made it obvious that this was not a Weapon to be trifled with. 

"I see it, Tifa. We'll set down on that bushy rise." Cloud gestured to a low hill that the monster would soon pass through, with a clearing large enough to land the helicopter in but with enough brush to allow them the advantage of a surprise attack. Tifa nodded at the choice, and then began a few stretches to help her warm up. She glanced back once, and smiled to see Rude doing the same stretches. It was odd to be thinking about even thinking about romance in the wake of all that had happened, and even more strange to be thinking this about someone who wasn't Cloud. She wasn't really attracted to Rude -- but she wasn't totally put off by him, either. She just didn't know him. It was almost creepy, knowing that he liked her, but knowing hardly anything about him at all. 

These thoughts were thrust from her mind as the chopper landed abruptly, and the three fighters hopped out together. Purposefully, she began her meditation exercises to clear her mind and purge all distracting emotions. With her eyes closed, she did not see the two pairs of eyes that watched her, both vowing to protect her no matter the cost. 


	3. Death and Rebirth

Death and Rebirth 

April 16 - _I am currently undertaking a new project which, for lack of a better name, I am calling Project Phiros. Having obtained DNA samples from two specimens, both of endangered species, I will attempt to form gametes from these samples and simulate meiosis. Once an acceptable zygote is obtained, I will finally be able to test out the new Accelerated Growth Environment (A.G.E.). Using A.G.E, it should reach maturity fairly quickly, and I will ascertain whether the offspring is viable or not._

April 22 - _I am having trouble getting the homologues to stay together during synapsis. They seem to have a natural aversion to one another. Perhaps Mako could be used as some sort of catalyst?_

April 25 - _I managed to cross over both chromosomes by allowing Mako to infuse the DNA of both species. However, the chiasmata are breaking down to early, and the fusion is incomplete. I will experiment with different levels of Mako -- too much seems to make the homologues too weak to hold together, while too little causes them to repel each other too strongly._

May 1 - _Finally! With careful regulation of the amounts of Mako during meiosis, I have created a zygote. Because it was such a delicate process, I think it is worth cloning a few in case A.G.E. damages the first one. I am still unsure as to how high a growth acceleration ratio I can safely use._

May 25 - _As I suspected, the growth acceleration ratios I used on the first two zygotes were too high - 100:1 and 50:1. They first didn't mature past the fetus stage, and the next died in infancy. I need to get the fastest rate possible, however, so I believe I will try 30:1 next. If it works, it will be fully grown in about six months . . ._

June 26 - _After one month, the 30:1 zygote has progressed to the stage of about a two and a half year old child. I believe that I can sustain this rate of acceleration until maturity. It is remarkable how complete the A.G.E. device is - the child can talk and walk, and even shows rudimentary combat skills, just as I programmed A.G.E. to teach it. Truly, I am a genius._

August 24 - _The specimen is about seven years old now, but I am worried about the DNA compatibility. The child occasionally suffers from fits, where it appears both parents' DNA are exerting their influence in conflicting ways. I hope I can rectify these . . . strange manifestations before I run out of time._

October 12 - _Sephiroth and research into the JENOVA project have been increasingly demanding more of my time -- I'm afraid I haven't given this specimen the attention it deserves - it continued to suffer fits, getting more violent each time, until yesterday one of the forces seems to have prevailed. I'm still not sure which, though . . . I hate to leave my lab without knowing, but there are more pressing issues. I also have my suspicions that the specimen is sterile; that shouldn't be a problem, but it does indicate that there may be some flaws in the A.G.E.'s early development routines._

Phiros closed Hojo's journal silently. That was the last entry. When Weapon had attacked the Shinra building, Phiros had broken out of the A.G.E. device and found the building deserted. After constructing some clothes out of old lab coats and bedsheets, and finding Hojo's secret stash of junk food in his desk drawer, Phiros began to read. There were many of Hojo's journals in the lab; like any good scientist, Hojo documented everything, and although deciphering his handwriting was difficult at first, Phiros had learned much. 

But finally it was time to leave the nest, time for wings to be stretched, and time to fly forth. Somehow escaping the decrepit Shinra building, Phiros now strode through the streets of Midgar. Long, creamy white-gold hair rippled softly from where it was tied back with a strip of white bedsheet. Light, almost glowing blue eyes flowed gently behind thick lashes, as if with the strength of the ocean behind them. Phiros' lithe, slender figure was hidden beneath the layered clothing that formed a sort of sashed robe and long cloak. Bare feet hid themselves beneath the long hem of the robe; there were no shoes in Hojo's laboratory. 

When Phiros passed people by on the Midgar streets, people wondered if the flowing white figure was an angel, or an apparition, or some sort of malevolent spirit. Whatever they thought, each person was relieved when Phiros' calm figure passed, seemingly without seeing. 

Though the two components of Phiros' DNA never fully merged, and sometimes caused pained conflict deep inside, right now both had the same directive. For once, Phiros knew exactly what to do, with no nagging voices whispering alternate plans of action. And, for the first time since leaving A.G.E, no external forces guided Phiros' actions. Freedom was a wondrous thing. 

* * *

Reno prided himself on his ability to tease a smile from any woman's lips. Most of the time, he flirted just for the sake of flirting. Other times he was looking for something else, although he didn't always know what. But this time, he was flirting to dispel the jittery worms that threatened to eat away his stomach. Oh, he told himself it was for the challenge, to prove that he could do it. But it was no coincidence that before every battle, Reno's rakish smile always emerged to put away self-doubt and fear. 

"We've landed too far away," Vincent stated, shading his eyes from the late afternoon sun and scanning the horizon. "It won't reach us for at least twenty minutes." 

"It's not worth moving closer," Yuffie pointed out, "This hill is the only good defensive position in the whole area." Reno could tell she was trying to sound logical, but he knew that she really just didn't want to get back in that helicopter if it could at all be avoided. 

"Well, then, how about a warm-up match?" suggested Reno suddenly, "You know, a little friendly sparring to get our blood moving. How about it, Yuffie?," he asked, giving her a little wink, "You can show me how good you are." 

"Heh heh, sorry Reno, but no. You wouldn't be able to help us much with the Weapon after me and Conformer got through with you." She made a few swooshing feints, and Reno backed away a little from its sharp points in spite of himself. 

"No weapons, then. 5 minutes. Vincent here will time us, right Vince?" Reno looked expectantly at the ex-Turk, and although Vincent looked at him a little suspiciously, he finally nodded. 

"Five minutes. Just a warm-up; pull your punches." 

"All right, Reno, you're gonna get it! You'll be senseless after I amaze you with my elite ninja skills!," Yuffie shouted gleefully, setting her Conformer carefully by Vincent's feet and then bouncing around a little. Reno tossed his nightstick aside casually, and said, cocking his head, turquoise eyes glittering with mischief, "I'm ready." 

"Ready!," Yuffie announced with a mock salute. 

"Go," Vincent said simply, starting the timer on his watch, which was normally hidden underneath his long sleeves. 

Yuffie, for all her earlier bouncing around, now just stood there, looking almost as casual as Reno. He feinted a left kick, then a right punch, mainly to see her reaction. She didn't even move. Reno sauntered up closer, his very stance jeering and taunting. The closer he got, the shorter she looked, and he marvelled at how small she was, how her arms could be so slim and be so powerful at the same time. He aimed a kick low, not expecting to connect, and then whirled around for a backhand slap. 

This time he was close enough that she had to dodge, but she barely moved from her spot, and he could almost feel her skin as his fingers whizzed past. For some reason, she wasn't attacking Reno. As if detecting his puzzlement, the corner of her mouth twitched in amusement. _Heh. So that's how it is,_ Reno smiled to himself. Slowly, he stepped closer, and bent his head down until he was inches from her face. Still, she made no attack. She was watching his eyes, of course -- no woman could resist his glowing, encompassing eyes. Neither blinked or looked away. Yuffie was still smiling a little, and -- was that a blush? Reno smiled back, a little, but then suddenly he felt a gentle, yet firm pressure on his throat. 

"Time," Vincent said calmly, his voice cutting between Reno and Yuffie like a gust of wind. Reno looked down to see Yuffie's hand capable of crushing his windpipe in a second. She grinned. 

"That makes me the winner -- of course!!" She stepped away from Reno, who stood silently for a moment. _I didn't even see her hand move . . . _ Then, with a short, mocking laugh, he grinned smugly. Sure, he hadn't won the skirmish -- but that hadn't been his real goal. His only purpose had been accomplished when, even if just for a moment, he had seen that inocent blush, that slight, involuntary parting of the lips. Yes, Reno still had his touch. Not that he had doubted **that**, of course. 

He had thought for a moment that maybe she was too young, too battle-oriented, but no, Yuffie was closer to being a woman than a girl, even though she didn't seem to know it yet. Looking at her now, it was obvious that she was unaware of how her too-small shorts didn't fit her anymore, or how her tank top was now so tight he wondered how she could fit it on. She wasn't wearing these clothes to be provacative - she just didn't seem to notice that she no longer had the body of a child. 

"We should formulate a method of attack," Reno heard Vincent say, and he turned and looked at the monster of a man who had somehow become their informal leader. 

"An ambush!," suggested Yuffie excitedly, and Vincent nodded. 

"Optimally, we would be able to attack it from several directions simultaneously -- that way we can keep it confused and do more damage." Reno nodded. _This man still thinks like a Turk,_ he realized with a wry smile. He knew what was next, and he interrupted, 

"Someone should stand at the top of the hill acting as the main target. Not so obvious as to look like a trap, but obvious enough that the Weapon'll head there. Then, right before the Weapon reaches the decoy, the other two will attack it from behind." Vincent looked at Reno slightly less coldly, which Reno took to be a sign of approval. 

"Exactly." 

"Heh. That'll be me," Reno stated proudly, picking up his nightstick from where he had dropped it before and shouldering it lightly. "Deception is my specialty." 

"As you wish," Vincent shrugged, maroon eyes still locked onto Reno piercingly. With a disarming wink at the two, Reno turned and began to scan the area, formulating his plan of action. He sensed Vincent and Yuffie taking up positions below, lying on their bellies beneath the short scrub bushes that grew in the area between Kalm and Midgar. Amethyst Weapon was getting close, and Reno hoped it hadn't noticed Yuffie and Vincent hiding. He wondered how intelligent and perceptive these creatures were, but he wasn't worried. Reno never worried. 

But, as Weapon approached, its massive wings beating gusts of air across the grasses and shrubs of the plain, somewhere deep from Reno's instincts came a strong desire to run. Years of training and battles brought about an almost instant suppresion of this desire, and instead Reno turned around and casually started walking. Of course, with his nightstick in hand, the Weapon was sure to believe that Reno meant to wait for the Weapon to pass and then attack it from behind. That was the plan, anyway. Reno resisted the urge to look over his shoulder to see if it was working, relying instead on his sense of hearing. He could hear the flapping noise getting louder, proof that the Weapon was still approaching. 

Reno removed his sunglasses from their perch on the top of his head, and pretended to polish them. He took advantage of their reflective surface to use them as a mirror to see behind his shoulder. He could see the monster getting closer -- sure enough, it was headed straight for him. Just as the purple behemoth began to land, the air strangely silent without the sound of its beating wings, Reno whirled around and shot an EMP burst from his thin, flexible, multi-purpose rod. _If this Weapon is at all electro-mechanical, this should confuse it a bit._

At the same instant, a gunshot rang out from the grasses behind the creature, ripping a hole through one of its papery metal wings. 

_Nice thinking, Vincent,_ Reno acknowledged in his head, _Now it can't get an aerial advantage._ Yuffie's shuriken followed close behind, and with a screech of metal on metal the other wing was rendered useless as well. 

The Weapon lurched a bit under the three sudden, near-simultaneous attacks, but it didn't waver in its course towards Reno. The Turk scowled and cursed under his breath. _EMP isn't working; gotta try something else._ Flicking the thumb-switch to a different position, he aimed the rod and fired again. A bolt of lightning arced out from the slender tip of Reno's weapon to the creature's head, causing electricity to swarm over its metallic surface like a horde of angry ants. That, combined with attacks from both Vincent and Yuffie, shook the creature a little more, but it did not appear to be damaged. 

The Weapon paused for just a moment before it lumbered on, threatening to trample Reno with its clawed talons. Reno got a good, close look at Amethyst Weapon as he dashed to the side, and he realized that, although it appeared to be made of metal, it was not an electro-mechanical creature. It had no wires, no hydraulics, no whirring of motors. It looked as if it had been born inside the Planet, forged like a cave from long centuries of erosion and gentle caressing of water, fire, and wind. 

The creature turned, massive hawk-like beak swooping down to narrowly miss Reno's head, and then it turned towards the base of the hill where Yuffie and Vincent assailed it mercilessly. With a flap of its fan-like tail, Reno watched the monster hop closer to what it perceived as it more dangerous assailants. Folding up his nightstick and attaching it to his belt, Reno reached under his jacket and pulled out his pistol. He wasn't sure how much damage it would do; he could see a few punctures on the back of the bird where Vincent's massive rifle had hit its mark, but they didn't seem to have slowed the creature permanently. At the very least, though, Reno should be able to add yet another distraction. 

He jogged a little closer to ensure he was in range, and already the Weapon had almost reached where Yuffie was hiding. He carefully placed a few shots to joints, tail, and head, but he wasn't sure his bullets had even made it through the surface of the Weapon's . . . skin? hide? armor? Reno couldn't tell for certain. Just as he was beginning to look for an alternate attack methodl, he heard Yuffie screeching, 

"Wah!! Get away from me, you big buzzard!" Reno could just barely see the Weapon clawing and pecking at a small figure, which he assumed was Yuffie. 

"All right, you asked for it! ULTIMA!" The sky darkened, and swirling dark green energy whipped around the Weapon. While the attack caused no visible rips or tears in the Weapon's surface, it moved a little more slowly, a little less surely. At the same time, however, it redoubled its attack on Yuffie, letting out a bestial shriek and leaping towards her, claws outstretched. The nimble ninja backflipped out of its way, but at the same instand the creature's beak tore through the air and struck Yuffie's leg with its sharp, curved point. Stopped in mid-flip, Yuffie dropped to the ground without a noise. 

_*@#^%_ thought Reno, _Gotta do something! If she's unconscious . . . _ Not waiting to finish that thought, Reno whipped out his nightstick and made use of one of the few materia he had in its meager four slots. He hated relying on magic instead of his own skills, but he was too far away, and his pistol wasn't doing anything. Whipping his weapon through the air, he invoked the Fire materia. A sphere of flame, seemingly coming from inside the Weapon itself, expanded and crackled to engulf the monster in searing flames. While it didn't seem as effective as Yuffie's Ultima, the creature paused for a second, and in that instant, Yuffie stumbled to her feet and managed to let off another Ultima. Under the concealment of the magic's dark green haze, Yuffie ran over to where Vincent was standing, and Reno watched her panting to catch her breath as he jogged down the hillside to join them. 

"I think its slowing down," he stated confidently, leaning his nightstick on his shoulder. 

"So are we," Vincent replied, glancing at Yuffie pointedly. She seemed to be all right, except for the foot-long gash on her leg that oozed blood steadily. Vincent muttered the words that would activate the Restore materia in his armor, and the bleeding slowed, and finally stopped. Yuffie still seemed a little drained, though. 

"At this rate, we'll spend all afternoon and all night wearing each other down," Vincent continued, pausing for a moment to fire a few shots at the Weapon, who steadily hopped towards them, nimble and determined. "We need to do something else." 

"We don't have anything more powerful than Ultima!," Yuffie protested, favoring her left leg a bit as she flung her shuriken at the Weapon, more out of habit than out of any expectation to do damage. "At least, I don't, not since Cloud took away my Knights of the Round. It's not like it really needs to be levelled up, but he stuck it in his Apocalypse anyway." The Weapon was almost on top of them, now, yet they still continued their futile physical attacks. Reno shook his head. _I'll think of something -- I always do._

* * *

Nanaki, Shera, and Cait Sith had shut the second and third reactors down with no problems. As the helicopter landed at the fourth reactor, however, they spotted several guards outside the entrance, their stoic poses interruped only by a small scratch or shuffle when it seemed no one was watching. 

"Oh, bother," Red XIII muttered, "What is our course of action now?" 

"Well, I'm certainly not going to attack my own soldiers!," Cait Sith stated, "And there's no other entrance, so I think we will need to try something a little more . . . subtle. Perhaps we can trick them into letting us in." Red nodded, eyes glinting. big bureaucracy no time blah 

Shera turned around and solemnly suggested, "I think we should put Nanaki in a dress and have him distract the soldiers with his charm while we sneak in." Red looked at her in alarm, until she laughed and waved her hands. "No, no, I'm joking, don't worry. Besides, I think Cloud would be better at that." Nanaki barked a short laugh, and Cait Sith chuckled a bit. Teasing Cloud about cross-dressing was a popular pasttime. 

"OK, let's be serious now," Cait Sith continued, "Since Shera's the only one who could really look official, she should be the one to enter and shut down the reactor." Shera nodded in agreement. 

"I can do it -- I've watched you enough times. With this lab coat I certainly look like a technician. But . . . how will we make them let me in?" 

"The President of Shinra will write you a letter!," Cait Sith said gleefully, pulling out a pen and paper from the glove box in the cockpit. 

"But what about when I come out and they notice the reactor's shut down. Won't they be suspicious?," she worried. 

"Hmmm," muttered Nanaki, "we have to think of a reason for that." The two thought silently as Cait Sith scribbled, his handwriting barely legible as he tried to use the pen with two paws. 

"What about a leak?," suggested Shera. 

"Yes, yes," Red agreed, "tell them you suspect a leak in the reactor, and you might have to shut it down before it can be fixed." Nodding thoughtfully, Shera pulled an electronic device out of her pocket. Holding it up, she asked, 

"Do you think they'll believe that this multimeter is a Mako leak detector?" 

"Sure they will!," Cait Sith piped up, "They're not usually too bright. And with this letter, how could they not?" He handed her the scribbled note, which read: 

To whom it may concern: 

Please admit this technician to the reactor. She is a personal friend of mine as well as a skilled engineer. Thank you. 

Sincerely, 

President Reeve 

Shinra 

"It's, ah, very simple," Shera finally said. 

"Hopefully you won't have to show it to them," Red said dryly. 

"What's that supposed to mean?!," cried Cait Sith indignantly. As Red and Cait debated the merits of verbosity versus brevity, Shera slipped out of the helicopter and walked confidently up to the reactor entrance. 

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," she said pleasantly, and tried to walk casually past them. They stepped aside for her, and even nodded to her as she passed. 

"Glad Shinra finally sent somebody to deal with that wacko," one of the guards muttered, and Shera froze. _Someone else is in the reactor?!_ Composing herself, she turned around and asked, 

"Yes, what can you tell me of the situation?" 

"Don't you know? Well, anyway, this person all in white comes waltzing in here about an hour or two ago. We yelled to stop, but of course they didn't pay no mind, and then a little while later all the panels went crazy, saying there was a leak. Well, we weren't going to risk the radiation ourselves for some fool like that, especially if they might've been the cause of the whole thing. Anyhow, you look like a doctor or some such; hopefully you can take care of him." 

"Or her," another soldier added, "I couldn't really tell." 

"Don't matter anyway," the first soldier stated, "But best of luck to ya; we'll just be right out here backin' you up." 

"Thank you. I will do what I can," Shera said truthfully, and then entered the reactor. About ten yards inside, a barely visible haze glowed faintly on the floor, which she assumed was evidence of the Mako leak. Shera knew that there were risks associated with exposure to Mako like this, but there was probably little chance of any lasting effects as long as her exposure time was short. Still, she felt fear carressing her ankles as though it were carried through the Mako mist. Quickening her step, she made her way to the control room, hoping she wouldn't run into the intruder the guards mentioned. 

Remembering the urgency and noble reason for her task gave Shera new resolve, and she strode forward more purposefully. _I'll just shut this down quickly, and get out, and that will be that,_ she thought to herself, and she relaxed a little. Punching in the codes as she had watched Cait do, the door to the control room opened, and she stopped with a silent gasp. Through the window that separated the control room from the rest of the reactor, Shera glimpsed a white-cloaked figure down at the reactor's core. She -- or he, Shera was too far away to tell -- appeared to be trying to tear the reactor down using a strange, whip-like weapon. She could see a huge gash in the glowing surface of the reactor column, and the Mako oozed out of it like gaseous pus from a festering wound. Though the reactor was damaged, it continued to pump Mako through the gap, and Shera suddenly remembered that she was here to turn it off. 

Shaking her head to dispel the cloud of dizzy entrancement that threatened to seep further into her head, she rushed over to the administration panel and pushed the button to shut down the reactor. Seized by a sudden urge to flee, Shera only glimpsed the two ocean-like, glowing orbs that watched her escape. She ran and ran, the dim emergency lights casting a sinister glow on the Mako secretions that whirled on the floor. Shera could hardly see -- it was an effort to keep her eyes focused, and she stumbled drunkenly through the hallways. She managed, though, to keep herself upright until she finally reached the exit of the reactor. Breathing in huge gasps of the clean, cool air, Shera stopped for a moment, her muscles trembling from the sudden exertion. 

"Well, ma'am? Anything we should know about?," one of the soldiers asked, watching her with concern. 

"Don't . . . go in there," she wheezed, shaking her head a bit, "Seal it off . . . I had to shut it down." 

"Right, ma'am, we'll get on it right away." She nodded breathlessly, and then tottered over to the helicopter. After a few minutes, she managed to tell Cait Sith and Red what she had seen, but it didn't sound nearly as frightening now that she was back in the comparatively familiar confines of the helicopter. The stranger hadn't even come near her; why had she been so upset and felt so afraid? 

"I don't know; maybe the Mako was making me feel jumpy," she said, almost to herself, but it sounded like a poor excuse. Her fear faded, and she laughed at herself a little. "Sounds like a ghost story or something, doesn't it? Perhaps I just . . . exaggerated things a bit." Red shook his head. 

"Shera, I believe you had every reason to be afraid. Anyone who is trying -- and is able -- to destroy a reactor without explosives or magic, and is not afraid of to be near the Mako, must be someone who is either very powerful, or very insane. We should go together next time, in case we encounter this sinister figure again." Shera nodded, her heart beginning to slow its rhythmic beating, and the ferocious bursts of blood through her veins subsiding to a gentle coursing. Neither Nanaki nor Cait Sith wanted to tell her that, in the shadows of the helicopter's interior, her eyes glowed ever so slightly. 


	4. One Life to Give

One Life to Give 

There wasn't anything Barret liked better than to be defending the Planet. Every time he fired at an enemy, the sound of gunfire echoed in his mind as a calm voice. "It's all right, Marlene. Papa'll make them all go away, an' keep you safe." Because, somehow, Marlene and the Planet were essentially the same thing to Barret, and it was his life's work to protect them both. Didn't make sense to protect one and not the other, anyways. What good would it be to save the Planet, if Marlene wasn't alive to enjoy it? And what good would it be if Marlene was safe, if there was no Planet for her to live on? So, even though he knew that the Planet had spawned this weapon against them, he treated the situation like one of Marlene's temper tantrums. _Hey, you jes' calm yo'self down, now,_ he chided the Planet in his mind, _We're gonna fix y'all up, but ya gotta hold still and be patient!_. 

Onyx Weapon certainly wasn't being patient. As soon as Cid had climbed the rope ladder down to the ground, it sped towards him, red eyes full of hunger for retribution. Withini seconds, the Weapon was in range, and Barret rattled off an entire round of bullets into the creature's flesh. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Elena was firing too, at first wildly, but then she began to calm down a little and pick her targets more carefully. Soon the monster was right below them, and Cid was dashing back and forth, feinting and thrusting, looking almost nimble for a man of his age. Barret and Elena were far enough away that the Weapon couldn't reach them, but close enough to be able to aim without fear of hitting Cid. The Weapon seemed not to notice its aerial attackers, however, and Barret wondered if their shots were effective. It seemed content for the moment to swipe at Cid and bare its fangs, but Barret got the feeling it was capable of much, much more. 

With an impossibly high leap that almost put the Weapon on the same level with Barret, the creature pounced on Cid, foot-long claws emerging out of its metallic paw and piercing the man's side in three different places. Elena screamed as blood seeped out of Cid's side and ran over the grass of the hillside. Just as the creature lowered its head, for what beastly purposed Barret dared not imagine, Barret leapt out of the airship with a terrible battle cry, landing on the beast's shoulders. Putting his gun against the Weapon's head, he shot at point-blank range. 

"You let him go, foo'! I'm the one you gotta worry 'bout, now!" With a feral roar, the beast let go of Cid and tried to brush Barret off. Crouching as low as he could for someone of his stature and dodging to the side when he could, Barret evaded swing after swing, all the while pumping bullets into the creature as if he was a doctor administering a vaccine. He gripped the creature with his legs and his good arm as it bucked and tossed, trying to throw him off. 

His bullets didn't seem to be hurting it at all, even though they should have struck the creature's brain thousands of times by now. It seemed the creature did not have a brain, at least not one in its head. Thinking back on the other Weapons they had fought, Barret remembered they were similar, in that the only way to defeat them was through a patient, drawn-out battle full of unceasing pounding with every possible attack. 

He thought he detected the Weapon moving with slightly less energy as a result of his attack, so he kept it up. _Ain't no point in wastin' a good opportunity._ Unfortunately, his balancing act on top of the beast had come to an end. With an almost feline growl, the monster flung itself backwards, hoping to crush that unscratchable flea between its shoulder blades. Barret flung himself to the side, but his leg was caught underneath the massive weight of the Weapon crashing down. As the creature got up, Barret tried to scramble away, but his leg gave way beneath him, and he knew he was not fast enough. 

Calling upon his Comet materia, he watched as heavy spheres of brimstone pummeled Onyx Weapon. It slowed the creature's approach slightly, but not completely. It settled on its back haunches, and Barret knew that if he did not do something immediately, the next attack would be the end of him. 

Pulling together his strength, Barret called forth Neo Bahamut. Suddenly, it was as if he was transported up beyond the atmosphere, where he watched through Neo Bahamut's eyes as clouds and darkness gave way beneath him. With a roar, Barret felt Neo Bahamut stretch his wings out, and then belch forth a flaring pillar of light so bright that he was almost blinded. Returning to himself with a gasp, Barret felt the pain in his leg anew. As he watched the Weapon recover from his last attack, Barret wondered if Elena and Cid were all right. _Time to come get off your lazy butts and give me a hand!_ were his last thoughts before Weapon pounced on him, and he slipped away into the shadowy underworld of unconsciousness. 

* * *

Their surprise attack had worked fairly well. Between Cloud's Knights of the Round summon, and Tifa's and Rude's flailing fists and feet, they were making pretty good progress against Garnet Weapon. The two hand-to-hand fighters had been working together and had managed to break the right foreleg of the amphibious creature. However, it still spewed forth noxious flames and swiped at them with its good front leg. Despite Cloud's repeated summoning of their most powerful ally, the Weapon wasn't bleeding from any of the numerous cuts and gashes that decorated its skin. Still, though, Cloud could tell that the creature was wearing out, and the end of the battle was not too far off. 

He felt a little light-headed from the huge drain the summons placed on him, so he took out his sword instead of attempting further magic. With a flurry of sword swinging and jumping, he attacked Garnet Weapon mercilessly, hoping to sever its other front leg from its body. Bringing down the blade of Apocalypse with all his might, he felt it pierce the creature's skin, and with a little resistance, he continued the downward slice until he had cut the leg clean through. 

To Cloud's surprise, however, the Weapon did not fall on its face. Instead, it reared up on its hind legs and tail, and, though it made no sound, in its eyes was an unmistakeable calm malice. If it had appeared fierce before, it was hellishly so now. Garnet Weapon reared its head back, and from its nostrils flames danced and chased like dragons. From its mouth it spewed a sickly green wave of smoking liquid that devoured the grasses on the ground between the three warriors and the Weapon. 

Cloud could only watch the dual wave of fire and acid approach -- it traveled so quickly there was no time to even think of fleeing. The acidic wave hit first, eating away the lower half of his pants in an instant, flesh burning and stinging, and then the flames hit. Cloud closed his eyes instinctively, and thus he felt rather than saw the blisters forming on his skin, and smelled his hair smouldering under the fire. 

Just as quickly as it had come, the wave receeded, and Cloud straightened painfully. Cloud was worried about Tifa -- being shorter, the acid would have affected more of her body. Looking around, he caught sight of her, and she seemed unhurt. Only then did he notice Rude falling to the ground in front of her, his clothes half-burned off, his characteristic sunglasses nowhere in sight, and his face a mask of stoic endurance. He lay on his side, left arm pinned awkwardly beneath him, motionless. _That should have been me!_ Cloud shouted to himself, eyes hardening, jealous of the other man's martyrdom even as he pitied his pain. 

"Rude . . . ," Tifa whispered, one hand covering her mouth as if to hold her face together. Before she could even step towards him, however, the Weapon raced towards them, clearly intent on attacking them, although Cloud wondered how the creature would make a physical attack without the use of either of its arms. He soon found out. 

The Weapon charged forward, its high velocity belying the fact that it was missing half of its legs, and when it had almost reached them, it suddenly jumped and twisted in mid-air. Its serpentine tail arced up, and then cracked to the side like a whip, aiming for Tifa's head. 

"NO!," Cloud roared instinctively, and, with the aid of his Cover materia, managed to place himself in the tail's path in front of Tifa. It caught him just under his chin, and his feet grazed Tifa's ducked head as the Weapon flung him aside. 

"Cloud, you idiot!" she yelled at him, and he wondered if those were tears in her eyes. For a moment, as he was flying through the air, Cloud felt a certain sense of fulfillment. _I couldn't protect Aeris, but at least I did what I could for Tifa . . . _ Then he hit the ground, and thought no more. 

* * *

_Destroy._

_Annihilate._

_Return all to the Planet._

There was only one warrior left of the pitiful band that had attempted to hinder its progress. A futile attmpt, doomed from its inception. One might as well try to stop the waves of the sea, or the winds of the air. Though it had let them think they were being successful, in reality it was just as powerful as it had been when their battle began. 

It charged at the remaining warrior. She dodged, long brown hair trailing to the side, and suddenly her face changed. If Garnet Weapon understood such emotions as determination, hope, sacrifice, and friendship, it might have changed its tactics. Instead it let loose its tail again -- it was so close now there was no way for her to dodge -- and expected to feel the satisfying smack of bruising flesh. It certainly did not expect the flurry of attacks that followed her impossibly high jump. 

From every side, it seemed, it was set upon by her kicks and punches, and though it tried to dodge, she kept moving out of the Weapon's line of sight. It had never known such pain. It was as if every blow came with the strength of three warriors at once. 

As suddenly as it had begun, her onslaught stopped, and she jumped away. Weapon could tell she was breathing hard from the exertion of her attack. Snarling, and gathering its strength to breathe acid fire one more time, it reared back its head, only to be interrupted by a final attack from the relentless human. 

She shouted aloud some words -- they sounded like names, but the Weapon didn't worry about things like that -- and then, gathering in a huge ball of energy, she launched her whole body into a punch that struck the Weapon as if with the force of the Planet behind it. 

It could not withstand such a blow. 

_Failure,_ was its last thought, as it crumpled to the ground, and returned with a sigh to the Planet that gave it birth. 

* * *

As they approached Reactor 8, the twin demons of fear and tension whispered perniciously into Nanaki's ear. He didn't have any concrete worries, of course, but still doubt nagged at him. They landed near the entrance, and everything seemed fairly normal. The sun was beginning to set, and the absence of electric lighting made the city give off a natural, humble glow. It almost looked like a place someone could call "home". 

There were no guards, and, as they entered, the reactor seemed calm enough, too calm for a machine that was sucking the lifeblood of the Planet out like a leech. Nanaki could almost hear the Planet groaning, yearning for release from the parasitic torment it had endured for so long. He suddenly realized that this was not the last Mako reactor left. 

"Cait?," he asked quietly, waiting for the moogle to turn around before he continued, "What about the reactors at Corel and Nibelheim? Won't the Weapons try to head there once we've shut this one down?" The cheery cat nodded. 

"If there's any Weapons left after our friends are through with them. But, you're right -- after we all get back together, we'll need to shut those down, too. I'll confess, though, that I'm mostly worried about Midgar. The reactors at Nibelheim and Corel are a lot further from the towns. There's also the Underwater reactor at Junon, and the one at Gongaga - I'm not sure how functional that one is anymore, but we should check them all out to make sure." Red XIII nodded, a little relieved, and they continued on to the control room. 

It was almost routine, now -- Caith Sith hopped over to the administrative panel and nonchalantly pushed the buttons that would deactivate the reactor. Red waited for the lights to go off, indicating the loss of power, but nothing happened. Standing on his hind legs to get a better view of the screen, he saw a message flash on the screen. 

- ERROR: Unable to contact host. - 

"It's not working?," Nanaki asked. 

"No, I keep getting this error message," Cait Sith replied. 

"Here, let me see," Shera asked abruptly, and she pushed the Diagnostics button. It appeared to run some tests, and then after a few minutes, came up with a Results screen. 

"Hmmm," she muttered, tracing the text with her finger. "It appears that everything's working fine, but it can't contact the equipment in the room that physcially controls the reactor." 

"Maybe there's a loose connection somewhere," Nanaki suggested, and she nodded thoughtfully. 

"I wouldn't be surprised - that sort of thing happens all the time. With what this city's been through, I guess it's surprising that we haven't encountered something like this earlier." The three stared at the screen for a moment in silence, until Red spoke up, 

"What shall we do now, then?" Shera answered him, 

"Well, we can either try finding the loose connection somewhere in the millions of feet of wires running through the walls, or we can go directly to the physical equipment and control it manually from there." 

"Something tells me you prefer the latter," Red remarked, and Shera smiled. 

"Correct." She turned back to the console and pressed a few buttons. "Right now I'm looking for a map, so we can find out where this equipment is located, but I think it's on a different console." She ran over to the other side of the room, and Nanaki and Cait Sith followed her. She searched for a few moments silently, eyes intent and focused. 

"OK!," she spoke suddenly, making Red jump, "Here's a map of the place . . . I wonder which room it is on here, though?" She traced the map with her finger thoughtfully. 

"It would make the most sense for it to be located close to the reactor," Nanaki suggested, "since it has to physically control it." He and Cait Sith peered over her shoulder. 

"Hmm . . . Automated Equipment Room? That sounds good," Cait Sith guessed." 

"It's either that or the Reactor Components room -- but I like the sound of yours better, and it's more centrally located. Let's see now how to get there . . . " Shera zoomed out on the map until both the Equipment Room and the Control room were visible. "Looks like we'll have to go back a little ways, and climb down the ladder to the core, and then through the northwest door." 

"Sounds easy enough -- let's go!," Cait Sith exclaimed, hopping up and down a little. The trio made their way out of the control room, their footsteps echoing gently off of the reactor walls. Down another hallway, which curved to the left around the reactor's core, they found the door that led to the ladder they were looking for. What made them stop, however, was the sign posted. 

"DANGER - MAKO RADIATION AREA. NO ADMITTANCE WITHOUT RADIATION PROTECTION." In small, barely readable letters near the bottom, Shera read, "Mako has been recognized by the Shinra Division of Health to be hazardous to the well-being of humans and other species, and contact may cause the following symptoms: headache, nausea, hallucinations, vomiting, stomache upset, tumors, cancer, insanity, and death. Please act responsibly around Mako to minimize these risks." 

"I guess it makes sense that it would be a contaminated area, since it's so close to the reactor . . . ," Shera admitted, "But I didn't see on the map any place where they would keep radiation suits." 

"Well, they actually probably don't keep any here," Cait Sith explained, "The reactor inside doesn't usually need any human contact -- all the functions are accessible from the control room, and the equipment handles it all." 

"How shall we proceed, then?" Red XIII asked, cocking his head to the side and glancing up at Cait Sith. 

"Hmm, why don't I go?," Cait said nonchalantly. 

"Cait Sith, are you sure?" Shera looked worried, as if remembering her earlier encounter with the relatively small amount of Mako compared to the amount that would exist right next to the core. 

"Hey, I'm a stuffed moogle. What effect could the Mako possibly have?" Shera laughed, and relaxed a little. 

"That's true. Being a stuffed animal has it's advantages, doesn't it?" She frowned a bit, and worried, "I hope you'll be able to climb down that ladder and operate the equipment okay." 

"Ah, no problem. I'll just shut it down and be right back." 

Red XIII and Shera stood back as he opened the door to the decontamination room and stepped inside. The thick, sturdy door shut behind him, airtight, and he crossed the small room and opened the far door. Shera and Red watched with inexplicable apprehension through the small, porthole-like window as the slightly-glowing mist seeped into the decontamination room. Cait turned and waved confidently, and then, just as he was about to head through the door, he stumbled and fell over. His legs twitched once, then twice, and then he was still. Mako flowed in through the open door over his stuffed, motionless body like a river over rocks. 

"Cait!!!" 


	5. Gift of the Lifestream

Gift of the Lifestream 

The groups' PHS, which had ended up in Shera's pocket, rang loudly, jerking Shera and Nanaki out of their shocked silence. 

"He-hello?!," she stuttered. 

"Shera, it's me, Reeve!" 

"Reeve! You're okay! But Cait Sith . . . " 

"I know; somehow the Mako disrupted my connection." He was silent for a minute as he thought, and then he continued. "You see, the reason I'm able to control Cait is because I've been specially treated with Mako . . . basically, it's as if I have a powerful Manipulate materia somehow connected to my brain, and the moogle has been similarly treated to allow me to find it and establish a connection. I should have guessed that so much Mako might interfere with that connection, but I guess I've gotten a little too used to being invincible." Shera could hear him give a short, self-mocking laugh. 

"Well, that makes sense," Shera replied thoughtfully. "You did give us a bit of a scare, though!" 

"Heh heh, sorry about that!" 

"Anyway," she continued, "what should we do now?" 

"Well, I could probably round up some anti-radiation suits from here, but it won't be easy. Most of them were in the old Shinra buildings, I think. It could take a few days to search through the rubble." 

"We can't wait that long!," Shera cried desperately, "We don't know how long we can hold off the Weapons!" Suddenly, Red, stood up, alert, and sniffed the air. Shera put her hand over the PHS and looked down at him. "What is it, Nanaki?" 

"The . . . Lifestream is moving. I'm not sure what it means -- it feels different from when the Weapons appeared, but . . . " He shook his mane. "We should hurry." Shera turned back to the phone. 

"Reeve, isn't there anything else we could do?" 

"I believe I can help you," a soft, melodious voice sounded behind Shera. Whirling around, she came face to face with the figure she had seen earlier, in the leaky reactor. Shera gasped. 

"You! Reeve, I'll . . . call you back," she said, hanging up the phone, eyes wide in shock. "Who . . . are you?" 

"I am Phiros." Shera waited for more, but the stranger was reticent. 

"You . . . said you can help us? With shutting the reactor down?" Phiros nodded, and then glanced at Nanaki. 

"I wish to end the Planet's suffering, just as you do." 

"What do you suggest?," Shera asked, trying not to sound too suspicious. 

"As you can see," Phiros began, gesturing to impossibly light blue-green eyes, "I have been treated with Mako extensively, and therefore can tolerate it more than a normal . . . human. If you tell me what to do, I can go down there and shut off the reactor." A gentle smile, soft as rose petals, danced across Phiros' pale features, and Shera relaxed a little bit. 

"Is . . . is that what you were trying to do before? In the reactor where I saw you?" Pausing for a moment, pale face half-turned away from her, the white-clad figure answered, 

"Yes. My feeble efforts only succeeded in damaging the Mako processing equipment. The extracting equipment just pumped more and more through the hole, until, suddenly, it stopped. I assume that was you?" Shera felt pierced by those innocent-looking, yet intense eyes, and looked away, blushing uncharacteristically. 

"Yes -- we . . . have been shutting them down from the computer consoles, but this one has a loose connection somewhere and needs to be shut down manually." Recovering a little, Shera explained where the room was, and what sort of equipment would be there, and what handles and buttons to look for. 

"I can do that," Phiros said simply. 

"There is one other thing," Red XIII interrupted suddenly, "If you would toss that stuffed Moogle out here before you go, we'd be very grateful." With an unsurprised nod, Phiros turned to enter the De-contamination room. Before the door would open, however, the far door where Cait Sith lay shut automatically, and a faint hiss sounded as the Mako-infected air was extracted, and fresh air brought in. Then the first door opened, and Phiros entered confidently, picked up the moogle with ease, and deposited him on the floor of the hallway. Tossing white-blond pony tail over a bony shoulder, the stranger reentered the room, opened the second door, and began descending into the reactor. 

"I'm back!," Cait Sith exclaimed, straightening the crown on the little cat's head. "So, did I miss anything?" 

* * *

Vincent had been thinking, between blasts of his weapon, the Death Penalty. He had been thinking for at least an hour, along with Reno and Yuffie, and so far they hadn't come up with any feasible way to defeat Amethyst Weapon. The sun was beginning to set, and the purple Weapon silhouetted against the rosy-golden sky looked almost poetic. Until the Weapon lunged forward and almost clawed Vincent's good arm off. 

They had worn it down some with their physical attacks, and some of the weak magic that they had left. But it had worn them down, too -- Reno's jacket was missing half its left arm, and Vincent's cloak was torn in several places, the blood from gashes in his back drying and forming patches of a sort that blended disturbingly well with the cloak's red fabric. Half-heartedly, he called up his Death magic against the creature, even though it seemed unlikely to work. When the attack missed, Yuffie shouted out, 

"What we need is some way to link together a whole bunch of cool materia! Like that Destruct one you just used, Ultima, and Deathblow! That would take care of the Weapon!" Reno laughed, a little too loudly. 

"You and your materia." Without thinking, Vincent replied to her suggestion. 

"We can't do that -- linking together more than two materia at a time is too much for the human mind to handle." As soon as he said the words, he regretted them. _They don't need to know about that!_

"What?!," Yuffie exclaimed, looking at him in disbelief, "You mean it's possible?!" 

"No, forget I said anything," he stated firmly, but it was too late. 

"Hold on, Vince. Yuffie comes up with an idea that sounds powerful enough to take this thing out, and you tell us to forget about it? What do you know, old man?!" Vincent sighed. Not only was it difficult thinking back to his days at the Shinra mansion, as this required him to do, but he knew that if he told them, they would want to try it, regardless of the consequences. 

"Tell us, tell us!," Yuffie demanded, as she threw her giant shuriken to keep the Weapon at bay. 

"It -- linking three or more materia together -- was tried before. It was one of the few experiments Dr. Gast and Hojo and Lucrecia worked together on. After those experiments, though, even Hojo wanted nothing more to do with the project." 

"What happened?," Reno asked, lightning arcing from his rod to engulf the Weapon. 

"They lost their souls." 

"What?!" 

"The power was too much -- the Planet absorbed their consciousnesses through the materia into the Lifestream. All those who tried to wield it became like Cloud was, in Mideel . . . " Vincent shook his head sadly, remembering. "One subject, one of the most tragic, still roams the Shinra mansion, nearly split in two from the force of it. That's when Dr. Gast decided to stick to studying the Ancients." 

"Whoa." Yuffie was duly impressed, and for a moment she looked thoughtful, a strange expression for her normally hyper face. "But -- hmmm -- well, there's just gotta be some way to do it. I mean, think about how cool that would be!!" 

"I don't know," Reno wondered, sounding almost serious, "That's a pretty big risk to take." 

"But . . . what if we used it together? You know, we could all, like, call on the materia at the same time, and split it up between us . . . " She trailed off, and jumped out of the way as the Weapon tried to charge her. The three retreated a little ways to give them more time to think while the Weapon approached, its progress slowed by the myriad of holes in its wings and tail. 

"I guess that's a dumb idea, huh," Yuffie finally ventured, after a long pause. 

"Actually," Vincent replied, "I haven't thought of anything wrong with it, yet. If we really could simultaneously invoke the materia, it should diffuse the effect among the three of us. And, if we couldn't do it at the same time, most likely nothing would happen instead of the gruesome effects we saw in the labs. Of course, 'most likely' isn't usually the type of probability you want when you're talking about your own soul." 

"Sounds like it could work," Reno added noncomitally. Yuffie jumped in the air with a grin. 

"Wahoo! What are we waiting for, then?! Here, Vincent, since you know how to do it, you can work on doing whatever it is you need to do with the materia while Reno and I keep this thing off your back." 

"All right, but . . . " 

"But what?! C'mon, Vinny, we gotta try it! For the Planet! For Lu- for, ah, lots of reasons!" Vincent just looked at her for a moment, but she avoided his gaze, gazing down at her feet nervously. Suddenly, Reno broke in. 

"Even if something does go wrong -- and I don't think anything will -- it'd be worth it to save that miserable city." He jerked his thumb at Midgar. "Besides," he said with a mocking grin, imitating Yuffie's voice, "it sounds really cool." 

"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Vincent wondered why they were so eager to do this, so confident it would work. Were they that ignorant of the risks? No, he had explained that part pretty well, he thought. Were they that ready to die? They certainly didn't look like they expected to be dying. He didn't have time to think about it then, but later he would also wonder why he went along with the plan, knowing full well the consequences of similar previous experiments. He could only remember feeling at ease with the decision. 

"Give me your weapons," he requested suddenly. 

"What?! Why? How am I supposed to keep that thing away from you without my Conformer?!" 

"I need their power," Vincent explained, "I can't just use the Outsider, because three linked slots would draw more power from the weapon than it has. Basically, for every extra slot you want to link in, you need five empty slots for it to overflow into. Plus, I don't think it would work if we all tried to use one person's weapon - it would be too distracting to try to find the materia and invoke it from an unfamiliar source." 

"Hmph. All right, fine!" Glancing quickly at the approaching Weapon, she brought out her second-favorite weapon, Oritsuru. Its graceful, crane-like form belied the sharpness of its edges and its deadly accuracy. She dumped all the materia out of her Conformer except Ultima, and slapped them into the crane's small slots. Reno tossed his night-stick, materia and all, at Vincent, and brought out his pistol once more. 

"I want that back," he demanded, more than requested. 

"I can make no promises," Vincent replied truthfully, and Reno nodded with a grimace. Then he trotted off to join Yuffie a few meters ahead. Vincent could hear the sounds of their battle as he looked down at the three weapons. Now that they were actually before him, he wondered how he was supposed to connect three slots correctly. For the three warriors to really be able to use the materia together, there would have to be one slot from each weapon connected to a slot in each of the other two weapons. Using the Conformer as a base, he set the Death Penalty and Reno's night-stick on top of it, forming a sort of eight-pointed star. 

_Yes, that should work. These three center slots here . . . _

Using the night-stick and a lightning materia as an arc welder, and keeping his metal claw carefully out of its way, Vincent set to work. 

* * *

Elena watched in horror as first Cid, then Barret fell beneath Onyx Weapon. She continued shooting, reflexively, face pale and tears streaming unnoticed down her cheeks. Her bullets had about as much effect as feathers, but she didn't know what else to do. She tried tossing some potions down to Cid, but they either missed him, or he was too far gone for it to do anything. Desperately, she called upon her Restore materia to heal all of them, but again she could see no effect. 

The beast, however, having downed two foes, now looked up to see who dared to fling objects down below. Catching sight of her, it snarled and leaped into the air, missing the airship by several meters, but coming frighteningly close. With a yelp, Elena leapt back. She was alone. How could she possibly prevail against the monster when both Cid and Barret had failed? 

_Still,_ she thought, some of her Turk determination returning to her, _I have to try!_ Approaching the side once again, she tried to stop her hands from shaking as she searched for some way to gain an advantage over this monster. She could no longer throw items down to Barret and Cid; the airship had seemingly drifted away from them, as if it was taunting the Weapon away from the fallen warriors. 

Looking down at the creature, she tried to calm the frenzied fear that rose up in her throat like bile when she saw it looking back. Its red eyes glowed like embers amidst charred black flesh, and for a moment she thought she would catch fire just looking at them. 

_The eyes._

Using the railing to steady her gun arm on the bottom, and her left hand to steady it on top and sides, she carefully took aim at the creature's right eye. 

She missed. 

Gritting her teeth, she took aim again, when, suddenly she remembered Rude's advice, picturing his taciturn lecture in her mind. _Stay calm, Elena. Gather yourself calmly, and then put all of yourself into your fighting, like stuffing a pillow into its case._ She loosened her death-grip on the gun a little, and forced her muscles to relax. Taking a few deep breaths, her heart rate began to slow down, and she even managed a semi-peaceful smile. 

_Rude . . . _

Leveling the gun, concentrating all of her life energy into that single bullet, she pulled the trigger, following the bullet in her mind with calm determination. 

This time, her aim was true, and the creature roared and stumbled a bit. It leapt up at the airship again, but without the depth perception provided by two eyes, it fell far short. Its bloody socket stared at her accusingly, and Elena decided to try to take out its other eye as well. As if reading her thoughts, it kept its good eye shielded by its body, making it impossible for her to get a clear shot. She couldn't damage any other part of its body with her puny bullets, though, so she merely waited. She had some time; it couldn't reach her up here. 

Just then, though, she caught movement back in the clearing where they had first fought. Squinting against the late afternoon sun, she could just barely make out that it was . . . Cid! She felt unreasonably happy to know that she was no longer alone, but her joy soon turned to dread as the beast followed her gaze and also noticed the injured man. Snarling with renewed vigor, Onyx Weapon galloped back to the clearing, seeking easier prey. Elena watched in horror as Cid, barely able to lift his spear, readied himself to fight the beast again. 

"No!," she cried out, feeling helpless from her high vantage point. As if in response to her cry, the airship lurched forward toward the Weapon, and then, with a deafening boom let off a volley of missiles from four different turrets. Shooting through the air almost faster than sight, every missile found the beast as its target, and when they exploded, all of Onyx Weapon that remained was a few large chunks of machine-like flesh scattered throughout the clearing. 

The sheer abruptness of the attack seemed unreal. Elena's brain stepped through the scene several times before she allowed herself to really admit that the Weapon was gone. She heard footsteps on the deck behind her. 

"Captain! Are you all right?," the Highwind crewman shouted worriedly. 

"All right?! Of course I'm not all right! Some &^$#@ idiot driving ,b>my ship nearly blasted me and my friend here to bits!," Cid called back, sounding angry not that they had saved him, but that they had had to save him. Barret limped out of the trees behind him, and Cid continued, "Didn't I tell you to stay out of this?!" The crewman, whom Elena thought she recognized as the navigator just laughed. 

"You're welcome, captain!" 

* * *

Vincent thought that it was finished. It certainly didn't look pretty, with the Death Penalty welded to the Conformer off to one side so that the slots would line up correctly, and Reno's nightstick haphazardly wedged into the Death Penalty's trigger guard. But three slots, one from each Weapon, were now all interconnected, and that's what mattered. He had even managed to only electrocute himself once, when his makeshift welder had arced to his metal claw. 

Carefully, he placed the three materia that would hopefully combine to defeat Amethyst Weapon -- Ultima in the Conformer, Destruct in the Death Penalty, and Deathblow in Reno's nightstick. Vincent looked up to see Yuffie running around the Weapon, attacking it from all directions, and Reno shooting it listlessly. When Reno glanced over in his direction, Vincent held up the makeshift weapon. Reno nodded, some excitement entering into his face, and he turned and shouted, 

"Yuffie! If you're done playing with your little Weapon friend, Vincent's ready for us!" 

"Roger!," she shouted, ducking the Weapon's beak stab to run over and join them. Onyx Weapon followed, but slowly. "OK, so how do we do this?" 

"Each person grabs hold of their weapon. When I count to three, call forth the power of your materia against the monster. But . . ." 

"But what?! That sounds easy enough!," Yuffie protested. 

"But we can't be calling three separate materia from three separate weapons as three separate people. We havce to be as one person, using one weapon, to call forth the combined powers of three materia. Kind of like . . ," Vincent searched for a parallel both would understand, "Kind of like how you join the magic materia with the All materia in your mind when you want to use them together. We need to be like that." Vincent struggled a little to explain exactly what they needed to do -- and almost laughed at the irony of it. Who kept themselves more at a distance from everyone than these three? Yuffie, with her selfish cheerfulness that never allowed any true emotion; Reno, with his bad-boy, seemingly uncaring attitude; and the aloof, privately brooding Vincent. Yet they had no one else. 

"Huh," Reno sighed skeptically, "Sure, let's do it -- it'll beat whacking on that thing all night." Yuffie nodded enthusiastically. 

"This is going to be so cool! I wish someone were here to take a picture!" But Vincent felt her hand tremble a little as she took hold of the Conformer on the bottom. Vincent gripped the Death Penalty a little tighter, as if afraid the contraption would fall apart, and Reno casually took hold of his night-stick, but his eyes were tinged with worry. 

"One," Vincent began, and the Weapon, infuriated at how the warriors seemingly ignored it, hopped closer. 

"Two." The bird-like creature shrieked and crouched for an attack. 

"Three." 

Sending his life energy through the weapon and into the Destruct magic, he could feel Reno and Yuffie next to him, both physically and as the materia they were calling forth. He struggled to join with them, to . . . embrace and be one with their alien energies. Slowly, their wills meshed together, all focused on the destruction of the nemesis of the people of the Planet. At that moment, Amethyst Weapon leapt into the air, intent on pouncing upon the three at once, but it was interrupted as a gigantic white light, like the opposite of a shadow, emerged from the ground beneath the Weapon and surrounded the whole area. 

It reminded Vincent of the Lifestream; he kept thinking he saw people flowing through it out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked directly at them, the apparitions were gone. The light beamed toward the Weapon and engulfed it so completely that Vincent could no longer see it. He instinctively closed his eyes at the searing brightness that emanated from the combined weapons, but, after a moment, he opened them. 

All around, like a vast ocean, was whiteness. Looking down, he appeared to be standing on nothing. He could see nothing, not even his own hands -- all was empty . . . or rather, blank. 

_I -- who am I?,_ he thought, and wondered how he could be thinking that without knowing the answer. He felt suspiciously at peace, not knowing, but something nagged at the back of his mind that this wasn't right. He closed his eyes -- _I have eyes?_ -- to think, but he couldn't remember what it was he was supposed to be thinking about. It was so comfortable there, so peaceful, but still . . . something wasn't right. Opening his eyes, he saw a figure emerging from the whiteness on the right, where Yuffie should have been. _Yuffie? Who's that?_ She wore a white lab coat over a smart business suit, and her long, chocolate brown hair flowed over her shoulder in waves from a pony tail. But the thing that struck him most were here eyes. Those bright eyes, smiling, yet full of regrets, seemed so familiar. He could not remember her name, but one thing he knew. 

"I . . . love you," he said, more as a statement of fact than of emotion. His low, calm voice sounded foreign to his ears. _Is that what I sound like?_

"No, I **loved** you," he corrected himself, remembering. "Lucrecia--" She smiled, then, and the sight of tears in her eyes, of so much hurt, made him remember more, although it was painful. 

"I failed you." She shook her head, still smiling that bittersweet smile of painful memories. She whispered one word -- 'Vincent' and then with a tentative wave, she was gone. 

_That is who I am,_ he remembered bitterly, _A man of failures and lost opportunities._ But then, where Lucrecia had disappeared, he saw Yuffie, her dark grey eyes looking past him peacefully, and he saw himself as she did: the unnecessarily morose man whose only sin was loving someone enough to let them go; the one who, though prone to be aloof and depressed, never complained or fell apart; one who stuck to friends and his Planet to the very end. _Is that who I am? How can I be both?_

The whiteness then absorbed Yuffie and she disappeared, leaving Vincent to contemplate his memories. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he caught movement, and turned to his left to see an older man, hunched over, dressed all in sterile white. Vincent recognized him at once, but only after a moment would he remember the name. 

"Hojo?!" The figure looked up, eyes hidden behind thick, glinting glasses, and laughed silently. Vincent remembered his dual hatred for the man. 

"You . . . stole from me -- love, and humanity." Flashes of agony of soul and body flashed in Vincent's mind, and Hojo muttered only one derisive word -- 'Chaos.' 

_And that is a part of me as well,_ Vincent thought, remembering the "gifts" Hojo had given him, the demons both literal and metaphorical, hating them, but unable to let them go. Or did he have a choice? 

While he was contemplating these elements of himself, Hojo vanished into whiteness, still chuckling to himself. In his place Reno appeared, eyes looking faraway, but shrewd. Vincent then saw himself through Reno's eyes: a skilled ex-Turk, somehow never becoming the demon Hojo had tried to force upon him, instead using his wretched powers to heal the Planet; a trustworthy companion in battle; a man who, though detached and sometimes unsympathetic, his self-restraint never wavered. _Is that how you see me? Am I really like . . . that?_ Reno slipped away into white emptiness as quickly as he had come, but Vincent almost didn't notice. 

Slowly his mind resolved the four views of himself and he . . . remembered. The whiteness disappeared, and he found himself lying on the ground, with Reno and Yuffie close by. Amethyst Weapon was gone. Slowly, he sat up, still thinking about what he had seen. How was it possible? Lucrecia and Hojo were both dead, and yet . . . Of course. They had called upon the Planet through the materia, and the normally-dormant Lifestream had answered too. That was why all those who had tried such a task previously lost their souls. Vincent almost shuddered at how close he had come. How ironic that Hojo was one of the four to help save his sanity. 

Still overflowing with thoughts and emotions, he watched Yuffie stir, and then sit up, her normally mischievous eyes pensive. They sat in silence for several minutes, until Yuffie whispered, 

"That -- was the Lifestream, wasn't it?" Vincent nodded carefully, not trusting his voice to speak without emotion yet. 

"I thought so." 

Reno awoke too, then, and for once he didn't seem to have any witty remark for the situation. Finally he stood up and muttered, 

"Let's get outta here. Place gives me the creeps." 


End file.
